I have been developing a way to help local people in 3rd world countries communicate their present situation through positive web-series for many years.

I am currently working on a project in Sri Lanka. I am making a fun, interesting, web series to show a side of the country that tourists wouldn't usually get a chance to see — hopefully inspiring visitors to have an open heart towards local people. At the same time I am a volunteer teacher in schools and orphanages. I also give travel advice and information.

Through this web-series I hope to develop a greater understanding and empathy between people from different cultures and transcend common contemporary problems by giving the local people a chance to tell us about their point of view in an objective manner.

Update on the story I had on Isaak Wolfe, a transgrendered student who tried running for prom king and was not allowed via Red Lion High School principal Mark Shue.

In a email I received from the ACLU this morning, I was notified that Red Lion HIgh School and principal Mark Shue will not be allowing Issak to be named prom king, nor will address him by his new name at graduation. The following is a press release from the ACLU:

RED LION, Pa. – The Red Lion Area School District (RLASD) has refused to change its policy around transgender candidates for prom court, nor will it agree to allow transgender students to use a name at graduation to match their gender identity, according to a letter from the school district’s solicitor. RLASD’s treatment of its transgender students became an issue last month after a male transgender student, Issak Wolfe, was denied the chance to run for prom king when his principal placed his female birth name in the column for “Prom Queen” despite repeated requests to be listed in accordance with his gender identity.

Marine toxicologist, Riki Ott explains the timeline of corporate power grabs from ratifying the US constitution to citizens united. A part of the "Making it Right for Real: Working together to Ban Dispersants and Make Democracy Work!" event on Feb 23rd.

What's the best and worst thing about America? This activist and artist from Washington DC tells us her answer on election night 2008, at Busboys and Poets. Check out the book and film that grew from this project, more at USAODD.com.

David Cobb, founder of Move to Amend, (http://movetoamend.org) spoke (6/2/12) about corporate personhood and the threat to democracy. The 2010 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. FEC opened the floodgates to unlimited corporate spending on elections and focused more attention on the threat that corporate personhood poses to real democracy. Cobb, an attorney and organizer for the Move to Amend coalition, examines the history behind the recent decision and explains current organizing efforts to change the law. David's main point can be seen at timecode: 1hr. 2min. 53sec. in the talk. Sign the petition to end corporate personhood here: http://movetoamend.org Location of talk: Huston-Tillotson College - Austin, TX To hear MLK Jr.'s Beyond Vietnam speech visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loroGNdNZKI Produced for Austin Indymedia by Jeff Zavala. Videography by Grace Alfar & Jeff Zavala. Edited by Jeff Zavala. A ZGraphix Production. http://zgraphix.org Don't Hate the Media Be the Media!

program: Evening News Book content: 0 program date: Tue, 01/24/2012 Short Description: Mental health treatment lacking in Multnomah County Jail Visibility Site category: News & Public Affairs Featured content: Display this node in featured content lists on home & landing pages. A local man serving time in Multnomah County Jail has reported to KBOO that guards and nurses have been negligent in providing him the correct medication for mental illness. As KBOO’s Jenka Soderberg reports, the problem is widespread, and stems from a lack of resources for mental health in the county. 4:05 minutes (3.74 MB)

program: Evening News program date: Fri, 01/13/2012 Short Description: Bradley Manning Now Faces Court Martial The presiding officer in the hearing of alleged army whistleblower Bradley Manning has submitted a recommendation that all twenty two charges against the army private be moved to court martial. The recommendation must be approved by a higher-ranking officer, but it seems likely that the court martial against Manning will move forward. Manning is accused of releasing hundreds of thousands of government documents to the website ‘Wikileaks’. KBOO’s Jenka Soderberg spoke with Zack Pesavento with the Bradley Manning Support Network about the latest developments in the case. 10:23 minutes (9.5 MB)

program:
Evening News
program date:
Fri, 01/13/2012
Short Description:
The final hours of Portland's occupy encampment
The deadline has come and gone. After a brief skirmish with protesters, Portland Police seem to retire from the field…or is it all part of a cunning plan…? As a helicopter hovers overhead, the thinning number of occupiers are faced with a new challenge. Hear KBOO’s coverage of events as they happened in this moment of history!
59:51 minutes (54.8 MB)

program:
Evening News
program date:
Fri, 01/06/2012
Short Description:
Protestors Sentenced for Occupying Congressman's Office
Six members of Occupy Walden, a small Southern Oregon group targeting United States congressman Greg Walden, appeared in court this thursday.
Kboo’s Zeke Harrington has more.
2:54 minutes (1.32 MB)

program: Evening News program date: Wed, 12/28/2011 Short Description: Beaverton Woman Extradited A Beaverton woman has been extradited to Bosnia under charges of war crimes dating back to the 1990’s. KBOO’s Dan Johnson has more: 1:34 minutes (1.44 MB)

program: Evening News program date: Wed, 12/28/2011 Short Description: Solidarity with Anti-Torture Activists Grassroots activist group Witness Against Torture will occupy Washington DC on January 2nd to protest continued existence of Guantanamo Bay and to stand in Solidarity with 14 anti-torture activists on trial. KBOO’s Anna Prebel Speaks with Helen Schietinger of Witness Against Torture. 3:25 minutes (1.56 MB)

program: Evening News program date: Thu, 12/22/2011 Short Description: Corporate Liability in Kiobel v Shell Case The Supreme Court will be ruling in February of next year on whether the plaintiffs in a case against Shell can sue a corporation for human rights abuses. The case, Kiobel versus Royal Dutch Petroleum, or Shell, was based on a lawsuit by twelve Nigerians stating that several shell subsidiaries worked with the Nigerian government in the torture and killings of Nigerians protesting Shell’s work there. KBOO reporter Jenn Chavez spoke with Katherine Gallagher, a senior staff attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights, for more details on their position. 6:44 minutes (9.25 MB)